224 vermin cartridge help

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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Sooo, I have the 222, but I also now have a thermal scope I want to make a dedicated night gun.
I don't want to kill deers-often. An if I did it would be neck shots close etc.

We are talking Foxes- Kangaroosters an stuff like that Down Under.

I have a 222... But I want flatter, maybe faster....
I was thinking 22-250 but case stretch could be a real issue for reloader like myself.. budget end . I'm not buying brass every second weekend... Hear AI can help this? How much so?

Think 223 is obvious, but plain Jane an not a great much more than 222...

Don't really wanna go .20 cal.
An not real keen on .24 cal..
What else could I rebarrel a cheap old gun into? hhmmm
 
I have two 22-250s and haven't really noticed the necks stretching that everyone talks about.
I use lapua brass and get multiple reloads before I need to think about a trim. Hasn't been an issue.
 
I can't speak to what's most effective for a kangaroo..but back to the idea of a .223, a Tikka CTR might have a lot going for it considering the application. When I had one, it heavily favored bullets in the 75gr. range-also good. Mag holds 10, it's a compact rifle, relatively light, extremely accurate, pic rail built-in.

I'm also assuming (right/wrong?) there might be a lot of targets which to me would rule-out hotter options. If not, like scotteboy, I know a couple fans of the 22-250 and don't recall any complaints about brass life?
 
As scotteboy said lapua brass really seems to last and stretches slower. I don't find the trimming excessive and got ample firings before having to cull brass even with more economical brass options.
However anything that was a 243 or 308 will be an easy rebarrel to 22 creedmoor and that is a great option.
If you stumbled across a howa mini or similar that was chambered for 7.62x39 the 22 arc has virtues.
 
I'm on 7th reload with my remington brand brass with the 22-250. Trim every 3 firings or so. That's not too bad. I just sourced it wherever it was cheap secondhand, so some could be fired who knows how many times lol. loading 55 grain tips 1 grain over max so a fairly spicy load.
 
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AI is a nice improvement, faster, flatter to some extent. new shoulder angle helps with brass life too
223ai, lots of cheap brass around
 
I have a 22-250AI Rem 40X. I can’t remember the last time I trimmed brass. It’s been years. Like over a decade. I measure the cases from time to time to make sure I won’t run into any problems though. Only if I feel OCD enough to clean up the case mouths and very slight length differences between cases, will I decide to trim. Knowing what your maximum chamber length is, is an important part of the equation. Otherwise you’re just shooting in the dark. See what I did there? ;) Book ‘trim to’ lengths for Saami chambers are also WAY too short IMO and provide a lot of leeway for being lazy on your trimming duties.
 
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Great input gents.

222 ya say.. hmmm that's the cheapest option, just needing a Pictinny for the Sako (which is probly half as much as a cheap Howa lol)

22 creed kind of rang a bell as does that 22 arc...
Bro in law has a 22 ppc I can lend in meantime aswell as a 22-250... So maybe I'll grab em both an have a gander at them on the range!
 
WhelanLad said:
I have a 222... But I want flatter, maybe faster....
I was thinking 22-250 but case stretch could be a real issue for reloader like myself.. budget end . I'm not buying brass every second weekend...
Click to expand...
I shot a 22-250 for years and excessive case stretching was never a problem. I would not discount it on that point. It's a very good cartridge that now gets bad press in favour of the new wizz-bangs.

Proper re-sizing will go a long way to solving that issue in any cartridge. Bump the shoulder 0.002" and you're good.
 
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I think a 22 arc would be pretty cool if you could find a rifle chambered in it.

223AI with a fast twist to run heavy bullets would work great as well. You would never run out of cheap brass.

I know you said no 6mm bullets but I used to run a 6x45 which is the 223 case necked up to 6mm. It shot a little quicker than the .223 and gave options of 55gr bullets up to 95gr with the twist my barrel had. It was kinda the best of both worlds because it worked on coyotes and nocked over smaller deer when needed

I guess it depend on what make your old gun is and what bolt face it has. Can your bolt be opened up to the new arc line of cartridges?
 
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Loved my 222 with 52-53 gr bullets. One of the best fox guns I’ve used. New gun as rather than rebarreled. Just practice getting your ranges down. Good to go.
 
The 222 Rem is my all time favorite cartridge. I have a Sako A1 in 222 that is a real darling of a rifle. A 22 BR though in all reality would be my first choice. 223 Ackley my 2nd followed by 22 PPC and 222 Rem. All incredibly accurate. Someone mentioned a 6x45. What a great cartridge! I have the Ackley version - love it. If higher velocity is paramount then I’d choose the 22 Creedmoor, 22-250AI, 220 Swift. Still, the 22 BR is a contender. Hyper accurate, fast and obtains that velocity more efficiently. I’d have one if I didn’t own my 22-250AI already.
 
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Are you married to .224 bullets or would a 250 savage work? thats your 22-250 you're considering but with a .257 bullet instead. If you want to stick with .224 and you're having a barrel made go with a slower twist so you can run 60 or 70 grain .224's and keep the velocity down.
 
Idk how tough Roos are but even the .222 with the right bullet should do the trick. If I was billing a .22 centerfire I’d go with a 1 in 7 twist so I was able to shoot longer projectiles(heavier but shape plays a part).
 
Just to add to the 22-250 argument.
You don't need a fast twist barrel to shoot 60-70gr bullets. There's heavier bullets designed for the 1:14 as the 250 has been around a long time.
I shoot 60gr hornady sp and hp, 60gr sierra hp, 63sierra smp, and 70gr speer smp with great velocity and accuracy. Makes the 250 very versatile
 
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